Potato-vine cutter.



G. L. McCREADY.

POTATO VINE CUTTER.

APPLICATION men 050. 9. I914.

1, 1 34,629. Patented Apr. 6, 1

Is r1. 1! In an. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASH/NGION, u c,

UNITE, sTAtrEs PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE LEE MCCBEADY, OF PARKSLEY, VIRGINIA.

POTATO-VINE CUTTER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, G-Eonen L. MoC mAnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Parksley, in the county of Accomac and panying drawing in which,-

Figure l, is a perspective view of a plow with the vine-cutter attached to the beam by the improved means. F 1g. 2, 1s a side view showing on a larger scale the improved means for attaching the vine-cutter shank to the plow-beam. Fig. 3, is a vertical crosssection of the plow-beam on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and shows a front view of the shank-attachingmeans. Fig. 1, is a view of part of the sl1ankadjuster. Fig. 5, is

a horizontal section of parts shown on the line- 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6, is a vertical cross section of parts on the line 66 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7, is a top plan view on a larger scale than Fig. 1 showing the relative positions of the plow-beam and the vine cutter-blade.

Any suitable plow may be used that is adapted to open the ridge of earth that 1 forms the potato row and turn the earth to expose the potatoes; the numeral 1, designates the beam of such a plow.

The potato vine-cutter has a base-arm 2,.

that is provided with a. socket 3, and also carries a tapered point at, that serves, as the plow moves forward, to cut a score in the earth at the side of the potato ridge, and to take under the potato vines that lie on the surface of the ground, so that said vines will slide upward on the cutting edge of the blade. An upright shank-end 5, joins to a curved arm 6, whose lower end enters and is secured to the said socket 3, of the base-arm. The vine-cutter blade 7, has its front end attached by a pivot bolt 8, to an offset 9, on the side of the tapered point; this pivot permits the high end of the blade to be adjusted. The high end of the blade is Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 9, 1914.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

Serial No. 876,196.

held and also adjusted by means of an arm 10, one end of which is pivoted by a bolt 11, to a lug on the base-arm 2. Said adjusting arm has two lateral lugs 12 and 13, both of which are provided with a slot, and two bolts 14: and 15, on the cutter-blade connect respectively with the slots in said lugs, and thereby enable the high end of the cutter to be adjusted vertically relative to the base-arm 2. blade 7, is uppermost and inclines upward from the tapered point 4t, and the broad llat surfaces of the blade have a position that is inclined laterally at an angle of about forty-tive degrees.

The shank-end 5, is the highest part of the vine-cutter device and will ordinarily have an upright or vertical position; this will usually give a suitable down pitch or inclination to the tapered point -'l, as seen in l, but provision is made for changing this pitch or inclinationto suit the conditions of the ground that is to be opened or dug. he means to change the pitch or inclination of the base-arm 2, and point.

The cutting edge of the face 17, that contacts with the side of the plow-beam and two bolt-hole lugs 18, projecting at diametrically opposite sides; this.

circular-shaped plate has two segment shaped slots 19, which form a center disk-like portion 20, and two half-circular rims 21, which latter have formed on their outer face small pits or indentations'22, see Figs.

3 and 4. The inner face of the center disklike portion 20, has a surface that is concave relativeto said flat rim-face 17, that contacts with the side of the plow-beam, and the center part 23, of a yoke has position in and across said concavity, while the two screw-threaded prongs 24, of said yoke have position in said two segment slots 19. The circular plate 16, is securely attached to the plow-beam by bolts 25, that pass through the holes in the lugs 18.

A dome-shaped head is shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6; this device has a nearly-circular wall 26, and a cover 27, that forms what I term a dome; it is hollow or chambered, as at 28, in Fig. 5, and the edge of said circular wall 26, has teeth 29, that engage the pits or indentations, 22, on the circular plate 16,

that is attached to the plow-beam. .T he

, cover 27, of the dome has a holeBO, in its center neck and at two diametrically opposite sides of the neck is a hole, and the two screw-threaded prongs 2d, of the yoke pass through the interior chamber 28, and, out

, through said two side holes, and on the exhead, by engaging the pits 22, on the fixed plate 16, and then by tightening nuts 31, will firmly hold said dome-head wherever it may be set; T he circular wall 26, has two notches that are diametrically opposite each other;

the upright shank-end 5, has position in these two notches and extends crosswise of the interior chamber 28, 01? the dome-head;

An eye-bolt 82, is employed to bind the shank-end 5, tightly-to its position in the a said two notches of the dome head; the

shank-end is slipped through the eye 33,

of the bolt, which is in the chamber28, see

Figs 5 and 6; and the -bolt 32, projects through the center hole 30, and on the exterior a nut 34:, is on the eye-bolt. By tightening the nut 34, the eye-bolt will'draw on theshank-end 5, and thereby the dome-- head and shank-end will be firmly gripped or held together. Thus any swiveling or part-rotary movement that maybe given to the dome-head, will have the effect to change the position of the shank-end 5, from a vertical to an inclined position, asi'ndicated in Fig. 2, by broken or dotted lines, and this will change the pitch or inclination of the I base-arm 2, and point 4:, of the vine-cutter.

All the parts of this vine-cutter have been contrived with the view of adapting them to be applied to the beam of an ordinary plow such as every farmer is likely to have.

Thus by, working the vine-cutter on a plow,

the vine -cutter will be in advance of the plow-point-and mold-board, and will cut thepotato vines on the surface of the ground, and also cut a score in'the earth C'opies of'this patent may be obtained for along. the potato ridge, then the will fully open the ridge and turn the earth over and thereby expose the potatoes. So this device is a vine-cutter and a potato digger.

Having thus described my invention .What I claim is, 1

" 1. In a potato vine-cutter the combination of a plow-bea1n; achambered dome-head having a circular wall provided with two notches diametrically opposite each other, and said dome having a cover provided with afcenter hole; a screw-threaded bolt projecting through said center-hole to the outer side r and having an eye 33, within the dome chamher; a shank-end extending diametrically.

through the chamber ofthe dome-head and resting in said two notches and extending through the stud eye of the bolt; a nut on the outer projecting endiof'said eye-bolt and serving to draw the shank-endtightly into said notches, and means to attach the dome-head to the plow-beam.

2. In a potato vine-cutter, the combina tion of a plow-beam; a circular plate se cured to the sideof the plow-beam and having two segment-shaped slots which form a center disk-like portion, andthe rim-part of said circular plate provided with "indentations; a partly-revoluble dome-head having a circular wall providedwith teeth that engage the indentations on the'said circular plate; a yoke whose center part is-movable under said disk-like portion whilethe'two ment slots and are secured tofthe partlyrevoluble dome-head; a shank-rend secured to said partly-revoluble dome-head and curved downward to the ground, and a vine J. N. MATrHEws, o J. M. CHAKDLEB.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

'80 prongs ofthe yoke have piston inthe seg-V V 5 cutter blade attached to and carried bysaid' shank. 

